Liqtjid-storage tank



J. Hr WIGGINS LIQUID STORAGE TANK Filed Feb. 15. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jon/v H. [wee/m5 July 19, 1927. 1,636,540

J. H. WIGGLNs LIQUID STORAGE TANK Filed Feb. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOHN H. WIGGINS, 0F BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA.

LIQUID-STORAGE TANK. i

Application filed February This invention relates to liquid storage tanks of the type that comprise a floating deck or roof supported by the liquid in the tank and provided at its peripheral edge with a sealing means that slides over the inner surface of the side wall of the tank when the deck rises and falls, due to variations in the level of the liquid in the tank.

One object of my invention is to provide a flexible drain conduit for the floating deck cr roof of liquid storage tank which is combined with a means that eliminates the possibility of said conduit becoming kinked or subjected to destructive or injurious strains when the deck rises and falls.

Another object is to provide a drainage means for the floating deck or roof of a liquid storage tank which is so constructed and arranged that it will be maintained in an hydraulic gradient at any position of the deck, even when said deck is in its extreme lower position.

And still another object of my invention is to provide a practicable means for draining thel top surface of a floating deck or roof that can be easily inspected, repaired or re placed when the deck is floating on liquid in the tank. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is a vertical transverse sectional view of a liquid storage tank constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the floating deck or roof partly broken away so as to more clearly illustrate the construction of same.

Figure 2 is also a vertical transverse sectional view of said tank, taken at substantially right angles to Figure l on the line Q-l of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the tank, with a portion of the roofor deck broken away so as to illustrate the platform on the bottoni of the tank that is used to support the flexible drain conduit in certain positions of the deck.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred forni of my invention, A designates the side wall of the tank. which is of circular shape in outline and made up of metal plates a whose horizontal edge p0rtions are lapped and connected together,

usually b v rivets, and B designates the float-` ing deck or roof of the tank which normally rests upon and is supported by thelrqmd in the tank. The deck B is of less diameter 15, 1926. Serial No. 88,303.

than the side wall of the tank, and the annular space between the peripheral edge of said deck and the side wall of the tank is closed by a sealing means of any preferred type of construction, but which is herein illustrated as being composed of segmental shoes members C supported by swinging links or hangers D, carried by the deck B, and a flexible closure E, usually formed of a gas-tight fabric, attached to the upper edges of the shoe members C and to a rim F that projects upwardly from the peripheral edge of the deck B, the adjacent ends of the shoe members C being j'oined together' by flexible elements G, which are usually formed from pieces of gas-tight fabric.

W'hen the level of the liquid in the tank varies, the deck B rises and falls, and in order to insure the shoe members @sliding freely over the inner face of the side wall A of the tank, I provide said side wall with a means that effectively prevents said shoe members from catching on the horizontal edges of the plates a, or on the heads of the rivets 1 in said side wall. VUsually, said means will be formed from continuous, vertically-disposed rubbing bars H on the inner surface of the side wall A of the tank that bridge the horizontal joints in said side wall, and thus insure the shoe members C sliding over said joints and over the rivets l in same, without liability of catching, sticking or in any way interfering with the rise and 'fall of the deck B. It is not essential, however, that said means consist `of continuous rubbing bars H, for if desired, short rubbing bars H provided with beveled ends can be arranged over the horizontal joints in the side wall of the tank. By constructing the tank in this manner I correct or overcome a thing which heretofore has been a serious problem in oil storage tanks of the type in. which the upper end of the tank is closed by a floating deck or roof provided at its peripheral edge with a sealing means that is adapted to slide over the inner surface of the side wall of the tank.`

In floating tank decks or roofs of the kind above described a flexible conduit formed usually from a piece of metal hose is used 'for draining the top surface of the deck,

said flexible conduit leadingdownwardly from asump in the deck to the bottom of the tank, where it is attached to a metal eduction pipe that leads out of the tank.

One object of my present invention is to provide a drainage means of the general type just described, which is ol such construction that the flexible conduit that forms part of the same will notkinkor be -snb-l jected to injurious strains when the deck rises and falls, and which, moreover, can be inspected, repaired or replaced whilethe deck is floating on liquid in the tank. Ac cordingly, I provide the iloating deck B of the tankwitli a sump 2 arranged prei'- erablyj at the center ol the deck for receiving and collecting rain that falls on the deck and conduct the water out oi" said sump by a flexible conduit I which is yso constructedy and arranged that it will coil in a certain-v quadrant when the deck lj moves down-k wardlytowar-ds the bottom of the tank and will uncoil when said/deck rises or moves upwardly.

In the preferred form ot my invention,

as herein illustrated, the flexible vconduit I is formed from-a piece ol' metal hose that Y has considerable inherent stiffness, and the upper end of said conduit is connected by a lcoupling 3^ toa horizontally-disposed pipe 4 arranged with its receivingend positioned inside' of the sump 2 andequipped Vwith a check `valve 5 that permits water to escape freely Jiroin said sump, but which prevents water from passingfroin the pipe Ll back into t'l-iegsumpr The'upper end portion of the' ilexiblerconduit I is sustained` or supported by a downwardly-curved supporting member 6 which is preferably piyotally connected by a removable pin 7 ltoga bracket or other suitable supporting device "Zafon the underside ofthedeck `B. Usually, the sup.-

portingfniember will' be formed from a piece of channeliron which is curved. downwardly` to theminimum radiusto lwhich it.v

is desired to bendthe conduit I and the Vupper endf portion of-safid conduit will' bevre-k ytai-ned inoperative position on said support- 'ing member 6 bypca stirrup 8, or other suitable Vmeans, as shown in .Figures l and 3. The lower kend of said flexible conduit I is i connected. by. aunionl 3a to a hinged portion 9 of an eductionpipe 9 tl'iat/leads ont of' the tank, anda'plattformy J provided with a.`

HGCGSSMY OlGliiOve the flexible conduit I,

top supporting; surface of substantially heli` cal' torinjis arrangedl on the bottom of the tank at suchv a point that tlieconduit I willy `coil up on same' when Vthe deck B moves downwardly towards thebottoin of the tank, Said platform 'J f' being providedjvith supporti-ng legs 10l so proportioned that Vthe low r'pointof the platform' will vbe spaced high enough 'above thevbott'oin of the tank'to ini sure thehingedrporticn 9j oit the `eduction pipe assuming an inclined position leading" downwardly from` the lower end of `the con- Iduit'IiwhenI the Adeck Bis in its ,extreme lowerposition. vThe high point of the platform J may terminate atv any desired level, but in vpractice I prefer to construct said of pivotal joint ll with the stgitionary por-v f ustable section 9 or" the ediiction f tion of said eduction pipe, so long as said elements are combined together in such a manner that said adjustable ysection9 can be swung upwardly into the position shown in broken lines in Figure '2, and in the prei tei-red iorm ol my invention', as herein shown, the adjustable' section 9 .of the educ tion pipe is arranged at substantially right .1

angles to the intake pipe cleading from the sumpv in the deck to which thexupper end.

portion of the lle'iibleconduit I .is connected,

as VsuchV arrangement oi' the pipes 4 and" 9', when combined with a liexible conduit I that has considerable inherent stillness, inl sr es said iieiiible conduity coihng into a cer-V p tan quadraietwhen the deck B moves down-V wardly. In order to perinit inspectiomrenicval orrepair of' the llexibleconduitV I, while the deck `B is float-ing on liquid inthe Ltank, I'provide saidy deck with a; manhole hole that the union 23a whichjoins tlielower end 'oitV Vthe conduit I to the eduction pipe is accessible through jthe manhole 12 when the deckB `is adjacent the botom ofthe tank. Accordingly, it it becomes Vnecessary to dis-V loe connect the upper end ofthe tlexibleconduit Y i I from the pipe 4 Vwhich leads Avfrolnthe sump Q,l this can be accomplishedwithout the ne-V cessity'ot draining the tank, andV without liability of kinking the upper 'end portion r'of the conclut I, by simply removing ther cover, l2ar of .the manhole l2 yin tliedeck,

disconnecting the union 3 and ithen tilting the supporto insucha d'ii'ectioi'i as tofswng fthe upper end. oi? the conduitaI upwardly into' the manhole at a point above thelevei ofy the body of liquid in the tank onwhich the deck B floats. In the event it becomes for replacement, repair or `cleansiii g this can be accomplished when tliejdeck isA in'A l proximity tothe bottom of the tank,fbu t still resting uponor supported vby the liquid in Vthe tank, byflirst Vreleasing the upper end portion of the conduitI and drawingit upeduction pipe upwardly in the manner indicated in broken lines in Figure so to position thel union 3 inthe manhole' l2, and at a point above the level of the `body ot' liquid on lwhich `the deckl is Heating. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that in a tank deck drainage means ofthe construc- Vwardly through themanhole l2 andY then,` swinging the adjustable section 9" ofthe l 'K y tion above described the flexible conduit of said means cannot become kinked or subjected to injurious strains when the deck rises and falls, due to variations in the level of liquid in the tank; the passageway through which the water escapes from the sump 2 of the deck is maintained in an hydraulic gradient 'for any position of the deck, and the element of said drainage means which is most liable to wear or deteriorate, i. e., the flexible conduit I, can be inspected or replaced quickly and easily, without the necessity of first draining the tank.

l have not herein claimed the means illustrated and described for insuring the sealing means at the peripheral edge of the deck sliding freely over the inner surface of the side wall of the tank, as said means forms the subject-inatter of my divisional applic* tion for patent Serial No 149,635, filed Nov. so, 192e i Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is:

l. A liquid storage tank provided with a floating roof or deck that normally7 rests upon the liquid in the tank, a flexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of said deck, and means for cau-sing said conduit to coil into a certain quadrant when the deck rises and falls due to variations in the level oiI the liquid.

2. A liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck or roof that is normally supported by the liquid in the tank, a flexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, and means for preventing said conduit from kinking and for maintaining said conduit in an hydraulic gradient in any position of the deck.

3. A liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck or roof that is normally supported by the liquid in the tank, a liexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards he bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, means for main taining said conduit in an hydraulic gradient free from kinks or sharp bends in any position of the deck, and means for enabling said conduit to be removed while the deck l is lsupported by liquid in the tank.

upon the liquid in the tank, a flexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards vthe bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, a platform adjacent the bottom of the tank provided with a substantially helical surface on which said conduit is supported when the deck in its extreme 'lower position, and an inclined eduction pipe connected to the lower end of said conduit and leading out of the tank.

`6. A liquid storage tank provided with a fioating deck or roof that normally rests upon the liquid in the tank, a flexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, a platform adjacent the bottom of the tank provided with a substantially helical surface on which said conduit is supported when the deck is in its extreme lower position, and an eduction pipe at' the lower end of the tank provided with an adjustable portion that is detachably connected to the lower end of said conduit.

7; A liquid storage tank provided with a deck or roof that normally rests upon the liquid in the tank, a flexible conduit leading` downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, and a supporting meinber on the deck for the upper portion of said conduit provided with a downwardlyinclined part on which said conduit bears,

8. A liquid storage tank provided with a vdeck or roof that normally rests upon 'the liquid in the tank, a .flexible conduit leading downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, and a pivotally mounted supporting member on the deck on which the upper end portion of said conduit is sustained.

9. A liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck or roof that normally rests upon the liquid in the tank, a flexible con duit leading downwardly from said deck towards the bottom of the tank for draining the top surface of the deck, a manhole in the deck, and a supporting member on the underside of the deck accessible through said manhole and provided with a. downwardly curved portion on which the upper end portion of said conduit rests.

10. A liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck or roof that normally rests upon the liquid in the tank, a sump in said deck, an intake pipe in said sump, a flexible drain conduit on the underside of the deck detachably connected to said .intake pipe, an adjustable member on the underside of the deck for supporting the upper end of said conduit, and a manhole in the deck that provides access to said supportingI member and to the connection between the upper end of said conduit and said intake pipe.

l1, A liquid storage tank provided with a lll) floating deck or root that normally rests upon the liquid inl the tanki a conduit leadingy downwardly from the 'deck towards the bottom of the tank andi formed from a leiziy ble member that has considerable inherent stiffness, a Sump in said deck provided with an intake pipe to which the upper end ol said conduit is connected, and' an eduction pipe adjacent the bottom oi the tankeconnected to the lower endet saidconduit and air-q ranged at subntanially right angles to said intake pipe.

12. A liquid Storage tankprovided with a.

floating' deck or root that. normally rests upon the liquid iu the tank, conduit leading downwardly from the deck towards the.

' bottom of the tank and 'lorrned from aplicacible member that has coneideralileinherent etilness, a sump in Said deck provided with an intake pipe to which the upper end of said conduitifs connected', an eduction pipe form arranged adjacent the bottom 'of the tank for Supportingv Saidflexible conduit.

13 A liquid storagel tank providedl with a tloating'deck oi.' root that normally restsnpon the liquid in the tank, a sump von said deck anintake pipe leading 4from said sump7 a flexible conduit det-acliably connected to VSaid' intake pipe, an adjustable Supiioi'ting member on the underside of the deck-for the upper end portion ot said conduitl conf-'ructecl eo "f to sustain-Said conduit without i kinking; the same, an eduction pipe at the lower end oi the tank provided with an adjustable section to which the lower endy ol said conduit is: detachably connected, a inanhole in the deck arranged so as toprovide access to the connections; between said-con- Y 'duit and the piper,` with which it (3o-operates,

and a platform on the bottom of theztank providedwith a eubetantially helical surface on which eaid flexible conduit coilsV when the deck moves downwardly towards i the bottoniot the tank;

JOHN H. wieGiNs. 

